


Behind our masks

by Wolfox76



Category: Jacksepticeye RPF, Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF, jacksepticeye, jacksepticeye egos - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Chase is trying to be a good father, Depression, Gen, Marvin is that cool uncle, Panic Attacks, Septic egos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 14:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15511905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfox76/pseuds/Wolfox76
Summary: Marvin was always hiding behind his cat mask. Mr Fluffington made him feel safe.Chase is also using a mask. Especially in front of his children and brothers. Sometimes this mask cracks and reveals how broken the young man is.Fortunately, the magician is here to offer his magic and help.





	Behind our masks

**Author's Note:**

> You can read this story on my Tumblr:  
> https://wolfox76.tumblr.com/post/174955817652/behind-our-masks

The lights in the hallway flickered out of sudden. That was nothing unusual. The weird part came with the green smoke which formed into a humanoid figure.  
When the smoke dissolved and just the magician remained. He fixed his shirt and mask and knocked on the door in front of him.  
His sharp, almost feline-like, senses registered some noise in the apartment. Children. If Marvin remembered well, Chase was supposed to have kids with him for today’s afternoon. If this was one of the rare visits, why did Brody call him then?  
Marvin frowned and brushed his long green hair off his mask. He clutched his fist, he wanted to be prepared for everything. When the door opened, he was met with a very similar looking man, this time without his significant cap.  
“Thanks for coming, bro.” Chase tried to smile but he was too exhausted. Or sick.  
“How do you feel? You should have called Henrik, I do not have a medical license… And neither does Henrik after all.” Marvin’s hand immediately shot towards Chase’s forehead. A green light illuminated the skin underneath.  
“No. Stop! Don’t waste your powers on me.”  
But the magician realized too soon. “Chase, again?”  
The other ego bowed his head and stepped aside from the doorframe. “Come in. Kids, uncle Marvin’s here!”  
Marvin shot a glare at Chase. “We’ll talk about this.”  
Chase wanted to object he doesn’t need help, but that would be a lie. He didn’t like lying to the fellow egos, it didn’t feel right. It was like lying to himself. Right now, he wanted to hug Marvin and let the magician lull him into sleep. Sleep where he would forget about this world full of pain. Marvin was good at it. A great friend and a great magician. Chase’s kids loved their magical uncle.  
“Can you show us some magic uncle Marvin? Please!” Chase’s children quickly surrounded Marvin with happy cheering for magical tricks.  
Marvin looked at Chase once more before the kids dragged him to the other room.  
It was not a good idea to leave Chase alone.  
Loneliness was slowly destroying him. Tearing him apart. Stabbing him like a sharp knife.  
It hurt to be alone.  
And even he could hear the voices from other room, he felt lonely.  
_“Is it- No, no, no! I know it! It’s… Jack of diamonds!”_  
_“No, that’s a king of diamonds.”_  
 _“What? I knew it!”_  
Chase smiled a bit. His kids were happy. Marvin was happy. But he wasn’t happy. Nothing made him happy lately.  
At least the bottle made him forget his miserable state. He moved to the kitchen and took a beer from the fridge. When he sat down on the floor between his children, he knew Marvin could smell the alcohol out of him. But neither of them said anything. Marvin was performing his card tricks and Chase was laughing with his children.  
They were happy.  
Until Chase emptied the can of beer. He felt he needed something stronger, so he apologized and went back to the kitchen.  
But there was a problem. The strongest thing he owned was on the highest shelf.  
“Why can’t Jack be a bit taller…” Chase mumbled for himself. He wondered how could the bottle even get that high. Jackieboy was probably just trying to hide it from him. Like that could stop him.  
Chase’s fingertips touched the glass. He was getting closer. With more determination, he tried to pull the bottle closer.  
“Shit,” Chase cursed under his breath after a few minutes of hopeless effort. At the same moment, Marvin stepped into the kitchen. The other ego looked at the magician like a child who was caught while stealing cookies out of the forbidden jar. Marvin just sighed, trying hard to avoid Chase’s look.  
“Chase… Are you drunk right now?”  
Before he could answer, the doorbell rang. Chase froze. He’s completely forgotten. He even felt anxious when he thought about her.  
“Marv, it’s Stacy… C-Can you?”  
Marvin noticed how Chase’s hand started trembling a bit. He nodded.  
“Sure, buddy. Come on kids! Your mother’s here.”  
Chase felt the anxiety rising in his chest. He made a few steps backwards until his back hit the table. He clutched the edge of it with one hand and tried to find something to drink with the other.  
“Bye, dad! We love you.”  
“Daddy loves you too.” The words were too quiet to be actually heard in the other room. Chase could hear how Marvin closed the door on their way out. The voices were no longer hearable.  
Chase tried to calm down. What did Henrik tell him? In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.  
“Chase? Chase, it’s okay. We’re alone.” A pair of arms wrapped around Chase’s body. He buried his face into Marvin’s shirt.  
The magician stroked Chase’s hair. He was trying to be really careful, he knew about the scar hidden among his brown hair. Sometimes, Marvin had nightmares about it. Chase was always covered in blood, with a gun in his hand. The red life essence was pouring out of the hole in his temple. Henrik was shouting commands in German. And every time, Marvin’s magic suddenly failed. The nightmare was always the same, his powers just vanished and Chase died.  
Marvin always woke up covered in sweat. He always had to assure his friend is there, alive. But if he wasn’t there the day Chase shot himself, the nightmares would have been real.  
“Chase… You’ve been drinking again, haven’t you?” Marvin tried his best to sound as calm as he could. He didn’t want to sound angry or upset. He knew Chase hasn’t been doing well after the divorce but this was far beyond his imagination.  
“You won’t find happiness at the bottom of a bottle. Do you even realize this amount of alcohol could give you an alcohol poisoning…”  
Suddenly, Chase broke out of the hug. “My kids. I’m so sorry, I didn’t want them to see me in this state. I failed them. I failed you.”  
Marvin shook his head. “No, you didn’t. Your children love you. We love you too, you are our friend, remember? We’re family!”  
“Okay, okay. Sorry. I’m sorry.”  
Marvin smiled and looked directly into Chase’s eyes. “It’s fine. Now let me ask you a question: How long have you not shaved?”  
Chase ruffled his now almost full grown beard. He shrugged which made Marvin giggle.  
The bathroom was at the end of the hall, right next to the bedroom. Marvin didn’t accompany him. He trusted Chase… and there wasn’t that much place in the tiny apartment bathroom.  
After Chase closed the door behind himself, Marvin started with the cleaning of the kitchen. What a sad view, Marvin thought. The table and the kitchen table was completely hidden under the empty boxes of cheap Chinese food and beer cans.  
It took him half an hour but it felt like an eternity.  
“Great, you are back! I already wanted to check on you… you know, if you’re okay.”  
Chase shrugged and patted his cheek. He looked much more like Jack again. “I feel better.”  
“And you look better.” Marvin smiled at Chase who blushed madly.  
“Well, let’s watch something then!” Marvin clapped his hands and headed to the living room but Chase grabbed his arm.  
“Marv, you don’t have to stay here with me. I am fine…” But Marvin could feel how the hand holding his arm trembled. There was a fear in Chase’s eyes. Fear of being left alone. He couldn’t leave him. No one should be left behind.  
The magician stepped closer to Chase and lowered his voice so only the other ego could hear his words: “I won’t leave you.”  
Marvin found himself on the couch with Chase’s head in his lap. There was some cartoon for children on TV. Marvin wasn’t even paying attention to it unlike Chase, he was enjoying just sitting there and stroking Chase’s hair. He was very careful and gentle, especially around his scar. He didn’t want to hurt Chase with his touch.  
“You can take it off, if you want to,” Chase said, his eyes still fixed on the TV screen. Marvin didn’t say anything, he just kept stroking Chase’s hair.  
They didn’t speak, but the cat mask appeared on the coffee table anyway.


End file.
